Contact Festival Top 5 Highlights

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By Ryan Hayes

The seventh voyage of Contact winter music Festival was a resounding success; bolstered solely by the prolific talent of this year's core A-list roster. While there were some issues with lines, especially when leaving day one, the music spoke for itself. Contact's colossal stage also played its part in wowing festival attendees. Its dazzling light show out did itself once again, entering Ultra level grandeur, and it was easily Blueprint's largest production to date. As always festivals are most appreciated when approached with an open mind, and if you are lucky you'll walk away with a few unexpected additions to your personal best of fest list...

1. Skrillex:

Although fans may experienced Jack U in recent years, 2015 at Pemberton Festival or 2016 at FVDED in the Park, Skrillex' last Vancouver solo set was in 2013. Needless to say the five year gap between performances automatically elevated this year's edition of Contact above recent iterations. With a generous mix of anticipation and nostalgia anything was possible; and for some newcomers to the scene, the set may have collapsed under the weight of its own lofty expectations. However, for the majority of fans Skrillex somehow exceeded the sky high hype that had slowly built since the festivals announcement. In the eight year's since the release of his debut EP, My Name Is Skrillex, Sonny Moore has ascended to the level of a legacy artist; amassing a catalogue of hits that traditionally takes other producers decades to achieve.

Within the opening minutes of his day one set at Contact Skrillex solidified his stature as a rightful legend within the dance music community. His set traversed seamlessly from deeper cuts like Reptile to recent releases including Agen Wida with Joyride. Die hard fans were treated to original drops for quintessential releases Scary Monsters & Nice Sprites, Bangerang, and Devil's Den, among others. Skrillex also showcased new edits of old favourites, Promises included, and highlighted his softer productions like Summit & Would You Ever. Throughout the hour and a half set Skrillex also delved in to his catalogue of critically heralded rap productions/remixes, and featured a Jack U heavy segment. There was something for everyone—it was the by far the most complete Skrillex set I have ever seen, truly showcasing his monumental body of work and solidifying his continued stature and influence within the larger global music community both past and present.

The true highlight of both days of Contact was Skrillex dropping Bangerang in its entirety. Within a second of the tracks opening chime the reaction was instantaneous. Over 20,000 fans collectively lost their minds in unison acting as a reminder to everyone in attendance of the real unifying power of music. Not only did Skrillex meet the hype, he exceeding it in every way. Here's to hoping Vancouver does not have to wait another five years.

2. Alison Wonderland

Few artists have had as big of a year as Alison Wonderland. Starting off 2018 with the release of her Billboard number one album, Awake, Wonderland went on to headline festivals around the world while continually crafting her live act as the year progressed. Beginning her set at Contact in true grandiose fashion with an operatic re-imagining of Prince's When Dove Cry, leading in to Good Enough, and I Want U—I knew from the get go her set was going to be the high point of day two.

Contact may not have been her last set of the year but it acted as the perfect culmination of everything she had accomplished over the last twelve months. Her production was spot on, highlighting both her personality and rising star power, while her set focused on her original productions and festival ready remixes/mashups. Her creativity and mixing are both leagues above the competition and it all rings true to who she is as an artist. While her remix of Dua Lipa's New Rules got the biggest crowd reaction it was her mix of 4B & Teez Whistle, with Virtual Self' Ghost Stories, and her original production Easy that was a personal highlight. Before walking off the stage Wonderland dropped Kanye and Lil Pump's I Love It and got the crowd chanting; “you're such a f**kin' ho, I love it.” She then thanked the packed arena for the compliment and ended her set...it was priceless.

3. The Chainsmokers

The first time I saw the Chainsmokers play a festival Kayne was their newest release and Roses hadn't taken off yet. I had to show up early to see them, and it was lighthearted, mostly progressive house, festival bliss—and easily my favourite set of the day. Two year's later The Chainsmokers had made a jump to festival headliners who were still finding their footing. Drew was just beginning to sing live and the duo had begun incorporating more bass heavy tracks in to their sets sandwiched with their earlier more synth focused progressive work. It was a transition set; yes they had a massive following due to their radio hits but they had not yet sorted how they sounded as festival headliners. Fast forward nearly two years to their headlining set at Contact and The Chainsmokers have it all figured out. From start to finish their set defined what it means to be a world class main stage headliner. They played their hits, past and present—from Roses & Don't Let Me Down, to Everybody Hates Me & This Feeling—dropped insane mashups like The Isley Brothers Shout vs Bellorum & Aazar Back Home, and Drew sang with charisma at all the right moments. Perhaps most importantly they had the confidence to just have fun. No matter what you can't go wrong with 20,000 people belting out Something Just Like This; and the surprised euphoria The Chainsmokers' evoked when they transitioned the intro of The Circle Of Life in to Alvaro and Mercer's Welcome To The Jungle was pure festival bliss. It was flashy, it was loud; it was everything a festival set should be, and I could not have been more won over.

4. Troyboi & Galantis:

Day one started off loud and noisy bringing the headbangers in early. Two acts saved Contact's first day from being solely a vehicle for bringing Skrillex to Vancouver. Troyboi was a breathe of fresh air filling BC Place with his larger than life persona and swagger. His sets are always artistically unique, and his chill bass vibes helped wipe festival goers palettes clean from all of the blundering bass they had just ingested. Taking the stage directly after Troyboi, Galantis turned up the energy representing main stage EDM the way it should be going in to 2019. Their set had a well defined sense of artistic style and personal flare while still hitting broader crowd favourites. Together these two acts elevated night one of Contact beyond a one act wonder.

5. Loud Luxury

The Canadian duo has had an unbelievable year. Riding on the wave of their smash hit Body they were given a chance to play festivals around the world—and fortunately for fans, they didn't disappoint. Pounding Contact with an EDM nostalgia driven set laden with pop hits Loud Luxury managed to fill BC Place early winning over the packed arena with their mashups and edits. Their transitions were tight and their set progression spot on. While they may need more time to amass a catalogue of original material to flesh out their sets with more distinct character everyone danced, sang, and jumped for the entire hour. Body may currently be their crowning jewel, but I expect more hits and an even brighter year for the duo in 2019.

Drezo proves his prowess & Rezz solidifies her main stage status

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By Ryan Hayes

Selling out the PNE Forum's roughly 4,000 strong capacity Vancouver was ready for a night of dark bass heavy music. Thematically all three acts tied perfectly together for one happy gathering of the Cult of Rezz. By the time 1788-L took the stage the Forum was already full. By far the most volcanic set of the night 1788-L kept headbangers busy while setting the stage for Drezo.

A personal highlight, Drezo' set was foreboding while remaining melodic. His dark take on rhythmic house was instantly approachable and unique. Regardless if you could pick out his original productions—Guap, Malice, Night, & his remix for Nas' Made You Look—everyone was drawn in because his tracks all have a natural groove to them. From start to finish his set remained artistically identifiable solidifying a trend on the fringes of dance music; keep your set full of originals and cultivate a faction of die-hard fans who live and breathe your sound. It's about more than creating a party atmosphere stacked with recognizable bangers, its about carving a space in the electronic scene's overcrowded landscape. Drezo met my lofty expectations and I am ready for whatever he has in store next.

Rezz took the stage to thousands of rabid fans chanting her name, cementing her status as a vanguard of dance music; one of the next generation's most important main stage headliners. As wave after wave of grinding bass washed over elated headbangers and die hard fans chanted along to ever twist and turn Rezz powered through a mixture of her latest LP Certain Kind of Magic, her Halloween mixtape Nightmare on Rezz Street, and slew of fan favourites. The set was expected—but on a tour of this magnitude that's unavoidable—the visuals were spot on, and the audience went hard until the last note. Tenacious D's infamous battle cry, 'you can't kill the metal' rang true throughout the night's festivities. Rezz has repackaged the heavy drive of rock for a new era of listeners and fostered the sounds evolution within the realm of dance music. Rock will never stop transforming, and no matter where Rezz' career takes her; 'the metal will live on.'

Vancouver Embraced What So Not (Event review)

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By Ryan Hayes


What So Not took over the Commodore Ballroom this past Saturday for a rock laden set with hip hop sensibilities and traditional DJ interludes. From an artistic standpoint the entire set was a step above the regular DJ affair, incorporating drums, a sample pad, and a dedicated guitarist—in other words he definitely wasn't just pressing play. Leaning heavily on original productions, his set was spanned the breadth of his career; all the way back to now classics Jaguar, and the Branchez remix of High You Are.

Felix Cartal recently took to Twitter commenting pointedly on the current state of generic DJ sets: “DJ's please play more of your own music, if people bought a ticket to see you, they want to hear your songs.” Luckily for fans in Vancouver that has never been a problem for What So Not. More than quick-to-fame DJ's with a trendy banger or two What so Not falls in to the Flume, Bassnecter, Alison Wonderland, and Rezz camp...focusing on artistry and atmosphere. He has created a fervent following of die hard fans and proven himself as a true artistic talent with a strong stylistic vision.

That being said the DJ portions of his set were well timed, and filled with crowd pleasing, commercial inclined hits, including; a sing along of Toto's classic hit Africa, Skrillex' headbanging anthem Chicken Soup, the now customary Bodak Yellow remix, and the perfectly fitting theme to Stranger Things. Perhaps the one drawback this style of show were the transitions out of the DJ segments back in to What So Not's live material. Occasionally there was dead air and a rapid change in energy. Regardless, any lull never lasted for long, and the audience immediately forgot the second a unique live element took over. The drum solo during a live edit of GOH, and the live vocals for We Keep On Running were definitely highlights.

After a quick hour and fifteen minutes the lights went down, and What So Not walked off stage. If the show had ended there it would not have been enough for Vancouver fans, however, we were graced with a twenty minute encore roaring to life with a thunderous rendition of Divide & Conquer. It was easily the strongest continuous segment of the night. If you have a chance to catch What So Not on his Beautiful Things North America Tour PT2 don't miss out.

Win 2 Tickets + Meet & Greet Opportunity With Sam Feldt in Vancouver on Sept. 9th!

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Sam Feldt is a young Dutch talent that has burst onto the scene over the last year riding the wave of chill music that has exploded in popularity. The deeper vibes are in style and Sam Feldt is one of the bright young stars that have been powering this movement with his memorable music. 

One of his bigger tracks is called "Show Me Love", and encapsulates the summer vibes perfectly, check it out:  

Official video: 

EDM Canada would like to a give a lucky winner 2 free tickets and a meet & greet opportunity to his Vancouver show at Celebrities Nightclub happening on Wednesday, September 9th. All you have to do is log in above (counts as an entry), and choose the various other ways to enter for more chances to win. The contest is open now and will end on Monday, September 7th at 12:00 pm PST. You must be 19+ to enter - good luck!